"One of these days is none of these days."
~ H.G. Bohn
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Showing posts with label Life is a workshop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life is a workshop. Show all posts
Friday, October 9, 2020
Tomorrow Never Comes
Sunday, September 27, 2020
Build Your Factory!
"A person who works with their hands is a laborer;
a person who works with their
hands and their mind is a craftsman;
but a person who works with the hands ,
and the brain,
and the heart is an artist."
~ St. Thomas Aquinas
Working in various mediums, in different techniques, and on different substrates, I almost always work in series of paintings these days. Searching, exploring, and refining variations of the same subject uncovers hidden nuances with layers of undiscovered possibilities. It exposes a certain depth and proficiency that wouldn't be present in a single work or two.
"The process is not about repetition at all, but rather about being able to explore, investigate, examine or address particular ideas, themes, issues, compositions, concepts or topics in progressively deeper and more meaningful ways, and from a greater variety of perspectives than is possible by making just one or two." ~ ArtBusiness.com
• Check out my new Wet-in-Wet Watercolor Course •
"Repetition is the key to mastery."
~ Sandy Sandy
Thanks for stopping by. Stay Safe and Happy Creating!
~ Sandy Sandy
Thanks for stopping by. Stay Safe and Happy Creating!
Saturday, April 25, 2020
The Process Isn't About Repetition
"Nature is an endless combination and repetition of
a very few laws. She hums the old well-known air
through innumerable variations."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
a very few laws. She hums the old well-known air
through innumerable variations."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
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| Star Gazer - Original Watercolor |
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| Original Galaxy and Aurora Paintings |
"The process is not about repetition at all, but rather about being able to explore, investigate, examine or address particular ideas, themes, issues, compositions, concepts or topics in progressively deeper and more meaningful ways, and from a greater variety of perspectives than is possible by making just one or two. It's like looking at something under a microscope as opposed to giving it a casual passing glance. The closer you look, the more you see, and the more you see, the more fascinating your explorations get." ~ ArtBusiness.com
"Repetition is the key to mastery."
~ Sandy Sandy
Thanks for stopping by. Stay Safe and Happy Creating!
~ Sandy Sandy
Thanks for stopping by. Stay Safe and Happy Creating!
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
The Many Benefits of Creating A Series
"A series is a collection of paintings that when viewed
leaves no doubt the same artist created them all.
The theme running through the work is stated and restated
in different yet interconnected ways and the viewer can
look at the collection and understand more easily
what the artist is trying to convey."
~ Lynette Ubel / Ubel Arts, LLC Blog
In Lynette Ubel's excellent blog post, she states, "After the commitment to begin a series is made, it begins to take on a
life of its own. With each additional painting in a series, the original thought grows into something more refined and bigger than a singular painting could ever be. Every addition allows the artist’s voice to get
louder and clearer, demonstrating that they are on a path,
know what
they’re doing, where they’re going, and what they have to do to get there."
I have noticed something happening every time I do a series. It refines my skills as well as my vision. This week's advice to an online student was; "You will really benefit from playing with the pigment without trying to create a masterpiece. (Case in point, below) Because I am rusty at this technique, I did 16 backgrounds - all one right after the other, to re-establish and refine my skills and get comfortable with the results. I didn't get it the first one or two or half dozen, but by the 12th or so try, I felt like I was starting to get the hang of it again. The bottom line is, get help from someone with real experience and don't give up. You need to set up a factory.
Over the past four Saturdays, I've been giving private lessons to a student
who's been creating a series. She is flourishing and astounded by her progress
and inventory by "building a factory" and doing them assembly-line fashion.
Over the past four Saturdays, I've been giving private lessons to a student
who's been creating a series. She is flourishing and astounded by her progress
and inventory by "building a factory" and doing them assembly-line fashion.
I'm convinced that working on the pieces together and repeating one step at a time,
over and over again can really reinforce and expedite learning and spark individuality.
Actually, I think I'm always working on a series of series these days, lol.
I can't really even remember the last time I worked on a one-on.
"Not many of us can be convinced that working in a factory is a lot of laughs.
Being a factory may be even worse. But there's something to be
said
for building one and getting into it."
Happy Creating!
Friday, March 29, 2019
Believe In Your Dreams
"Throw your dreams into space like a kite,
and you do not know
what it will bring back, a new life,
a new friend, a new love, a new
country."
~ Anais Nin
Come create 'The Eiffel Tower at Night' in metallic watercolor on Stonehenge Aqua Black!
What a wonderful class we had!!
👩🎨
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
A FREE WATERCOLOR WEBINAR BY CREATIVE TECHS!
I just signed up for a FREE Watercolor Magic painting course in the CreativeTechs worldwide classroom! See the overview here.
I don't know this woman or her work, but if it's anything like Creative Techs' other GREAT COURSES I've taken, I'm on board! Why don't you give it a try too? Hey, you've got nothin' to loose, right?!
ATTN: - Photographers and Graphic Designers - Check Out Creative Techs' Awesome TRAINING WEBINARS HERE!
I don't know this woman or her work, but if it's anything like Creative Techs' other GREAT COURSES I've taken, I'm on board! Why don't you give it a try too? Hey, you've got nothin' to loose, right?!
ATTN: - Photographers and Graphic Designers - Check Out Creative Techs' Awesome TRAINING WEBINARS HERE!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
WATERCOLOR WORKSHOP - DAY TWO
I started today's workshop with a couple of handouts from ROBERT GENN 's : Twice Weekly Letters for Artists. I have subscribed to this inspirational email letter for artists since the beginning. Starting as far back as 1999, I think. I've been praising Bob and his efforts ever since. His readership has grown by leaps and bounds from a mere handful of readers to probably hundreds of thousands world-wide. I highly recommend subscribing! It is a powerful resource, not just for painters, but for anyone with an interest in the arts and philosophy.
In last week's Sept. 9th, 2008 letter, "Build A Factory", Bob writes; "During the last while I've been giving my two bits worth to several would-be painters. These folks are young, well educated and talented. They want to talk about the business of making art, the possibility of going to art school, their future in art. They also check my modest brain for what I might think galleries want, price points, popular sizes, that sort of thing.
While this is all very nice, I've glazed over a few times, and frankly told one of them to paint a hundred paintings and give me a call when she does. There was a significant silence on the other end of the phone--as if it was just around the corner that I might coach creativity into her. "Think of yourself as a factory," I said. That was the end of that call.
Not many of us can be convinced that working in a factory is a lot of laughs. Being a factory may be even worse. But there's something to be said for building one and getting into it.
Artist-wannabees need to find a physical place to be. For artists who think big and lofty, an unused loft in a rust-belt town might be the choice. But a factory can also be in a corner under basement stairs, or an easel at the bottom of a garden. Factory is a mental thing.
An art factory is a place where unmarked supports enter on one side, become caressed with the physical manifestation of human imagination, and are subsequently pushed out the other side. Whether these modified supports are commercially destined or not, it's a process that needs to take place.
When the factory gets the steam up and things begin to happen, the worker becomes hooked. Also, as skills are learned, techniques defined and directions found, the place begins to look like a perpetual motion machine.
Theoretical folks don't always understand that the factory itself turns its operator back into a student. The factory becomes a school. If you like the idea of do-it-yourself learning, and you are curious about what you might be able to do, a little private factory is one fine institution. If your factory starts small and gets productive, you'll need a bigger factory." ~ Robert Genn
Here is a copy of two days of paintings from my own Sandy Sandy Factory.
In today's handouts, I also included a copy of this addition from yesterday's September 12th Painter's Keys letter, titled; "John Cage - Life is a Workshop"
John Cage's "Rules for Students and Teachers.":
1 Find a place you trust, and then try trusting it for awhile.
2 General duties of a student--pull everything out of your teacher; pull everything out of your fellow students.
3 General duties of a teacher--pull everything out of your students.
4 Consider everything an experiment.
5 Be self-disciplined--this means finding someone wise or smart and choosing to follow them. To be disciplined is to follow in a good way. To be self-disciplined is to follow in a better way.
6 Nothing is a mistake. There's no win and no fail, there's only make.
7 The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something. It's the people who do all of the work all of the time who eventually catch on to things.
8 Don't try to create and analyze at the same time. They're different processes.
9 Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It's lighter than you think.
10 Break rules. Even your own rules. Leave plenty of room for X quantities.
John Cage (1912-1992) was a composer, print maker, performance artist, writer, philosopher, editor, teacher, mushroom expert, collaborator and poet. Fact is, John Cage had a lot of fun in his factory. Considered one of the most influential composers of the twentieth century, he produced works with one note, no notes, notes by chance, and a noted organ composition that takes 639 years to play.
Thinking about the life and "happenings" of John Cage, it's not difficult to see that joy, imagination and brilliance flow from factories. "Life," he said, "is a workshop." ~ Robert Genn
In last week's Sept. 9th, 2008 letter, "Build A Factory", Bob writes; "During the last while I've been giving my two bits worth to several would-be painters. These folks are young, well educated and talented. They want to talk about the business of making art, the possibility of going to art school, their future in art. They also check my modest brain for what I might think galleries want, price points, popular sizes, that sort of thing.
While this is all very nice, I've glazed over a few times, and frankly told one of them to paint a hundred paintings and give me a call when she does. There was a significant silence on the other end of the phone--as if it was just around the corner that I might coach creativity into her. "Think of yourself as a factory," I said. That was the end of that call.
Not many of us can be convinced that working in a factory is a lot of laughs. Being a factory may be even worse. But there's something to be said for building one and getting into it.
Artist-wannabees need to find a physical place to be. For artists who think big and lofty, an unused loft in a rust-belt town might be the choice. But a factory can also be in a corner under basement stairs, or an easel at the bottom of a garden. Factory is a mental thing.
An art factory is a place where unmarked supports enter on one side, become caressed with the physical manifestation of human imagination, and are subsequently pushed out the other side. Whether these modified supports are commercially destined or not, it's a process that needs to take place.
When the factory gets the steam up and things begin to happen, the worker becomes hooked. Also, as skills are learned, techniques defined and directions found, the place begins to look like a perpetual motion machine.
Theoretical folks don't always understand that the factory itself turns its operator back into a student. The factory becomes a school. If you like the idea of do-it-yourself learning, and you are curious about what you might be able to do, a little private factory is one fine institution. If your factory starts small and gets productive, you'll need a bigger factory." ~ Robert Genn
Here is a copy of two days of paintings from my own Sandy Sandy Factory.
In today's handouts, I also included a copy of this addition from yesterday's September 12th Painter's Keys letter, titled; "John Cage - Life is a Workshop"
John Cage's "Rules for Students and Teachers.":
1 Find a place you trust, and then try trusting it for awhile.
2 General duties of a student--pull everything out of your teacher; pull everything out of your fellow students.
3 General duties of a teacher--pull everything out of your students.
4 Consider everything an experiment.
5 Be self-disciplined--this means finding someone wise or smart and choosing to follow them. To be disciplined is to follow in a good way. To be self-disciplined is to follow in a better way.
6 Nothing is a mistake. There's no win and no fail, there's only make.
7 The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something. It's the people who do all of the work all of the time who eventually catch on to things.
8 Don't try to create and analyze at the same time. They're different processes.
9 Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It's lighter than you think.
10 Break rules. Even your own rules. Leave plenty of room for X quantities.
John Cage (1912-1992) was a composer, print maker, performance artist, writer, philosopher, editor, teacher, mushroom expert, collaborator and poet. Fact is, John Cage had a lot of fun in his factory. Considered one of the most influential composers of the twentieth century, he produced works with one note, no notes, notes by chance, and a noted organ composition that takes 639 years to play.
Thinking about the life and "happenings" of John Cage, it's not difficult to see that joy, imagination and brilliance flow from factories. "Life," he said, "is a workshop." ~ Robert Genn
After practicing watercolor techniques, students all wanted to stick to tonal studies today. Building on yesterday's lessons, here is the demo I did today.
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